Here is the latest digest of top world news for Friday, October 9, 2026 — covering US-Iran tensions ahead of the midterms, a hawkish turn from the Federal Reserve, and a now-verified Ethereum security debate.
Trump says US will not strike Iran before the midterms
US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the United States will NOT launch attacks on Iran before the midterm elections — his first direct statement on the timing. The remark upgrades earlier reporting that his advisers favored strikes after the vote, and comes alongside reports that the Pentagon has prepared strike options. The statement offered mild relief to the pre-election oil war-risk premium, but Brent crude was still near $104.35 (up 4.1%) and WTI around $91.50 (up 3.6%) on Thursday.
Fed’s Waller signals multiple rate hikes may be needed
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, speaking at the Istanbul Economic Forum, said the Fed may need MULTIPLE rate hikes to bring inflation under control — a fresh hawkish signal for markets. CME FedWatch pricing put a 17% chance on an October hike and an 81% chance of at least one hike at the December meeting. The 10-year Treasury yield retreated to about 5.24% from recent 5.35-5.37% highs, while US weekly jobless claims fell to 197,000 — a fifth straight weekly decline and below the 200,000 expected — keeping pressure on for tighter policy.
Vitalik Buterin responds to AI cryptography warning as Bitcoin holds near $81,500
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded publicly to researcher Justin Drake’s warning about AI potentially breaking ECDSA cryptography, saying the AI-crypto risk is real but that holders should not scramble. The exchange turns what had been circulating as a rumor into a verified live debate. Bitcoin traded around $81,400-81,500 on Thursday — the Wall Street Journal put it at $82,683, a two-and-a-half-week low and down from overnight highs above $83,500 — with crypto’s correlation to US equities rising as yields and the dollar pressured risk assets.
Market snapshot: Bitcoin near $81.4-81.5k, Ethereum about $2.62k; Brent crude around $104.35 (+4.1%) and WTI near $91.50 (+3.6%); the 10-year Treasury at about 5.24%, gold futures near $4,150, and the dollar index around 102.12. Day 2 of the China-EU Beijing trade round ended with no verified outcome, and Gulf News reported that a Saudi coalition struck 82 Houthi targets after the airport attacks.